Antique Park's Patent Putter, Golf Club
Antique Park's Patent Putter, Golf Club
Willie Park Smooth Face Offset Putter Golf Club.
This early Willie Park Jr. hickory shafted offset putter, wryneck putter has a smooth face, original hickory shaft and thick grip. This is a fine example of an early iron putter with a very faint mark on the back of the club head 'W. Park, Special, Patent' but a clear stamp on the shaft 'Wm. Park'. The hosel with good strong nicking. A beautiful example of the famous Willie Park Patent Bent Neck Putter.
The measurements shown are the length of the shaft with hosel and the width and depth of the face.
In 1892 Willie Park Jr. produced and marketed what has been perceived as the first offset blade putter. A radical idea when introduced, the offset blade quickly garnered its share of believers and eventually became one of the most popular developments in the evolution of the putter. Park's Patent Putting Cleek ranks as one of the most popular innovations ever made in putter design. The principle of placing the golfer's hands ahead of the blade by offsetting the latter has stood the test of time. The wry-neck putter remains in widespread use, being produced in various forms by every major golf club manufacturer. A little over two years passed before Park finally applied for a patent on his club, which he received. Park's British patent (No. 20,914) dated November 1, 1894, is very brief and only specifies constructing the neck of the cleek "with a double bend or curve" at the lower portion of the hosel. It's thought the idea first occurred to Willie when he was putting with an ordinary cleek, the shaft of which had got slightly bent. He found he putted better with this than with a cleek with a straight shaft. Taken from Jeffery B. Ellis book, The Clubmaker's Art.
Dimensions:
1850-1899
Circa mid 1890's
Hickory & iron
Scotland
Good condition, head slightly pitted.
RELATED ITEMS
 dated November 1, 1894, is very brief and only specifies constructing the neck of the cleek "with a double bend or curve" at the lower portion of the hosel. It's thought the idea first occurred to Willie when he was putting with an ordinary cleek, the shaft of which had got slightly bent. He found he putted better with this than with a cleek with a straight shaft. Taken from Jeffery B. Ellis book, The Clubmaker's Art.){kind=link}